Representing Canada Internationally

Members of Parliament play an active role on the
international scene through parliamentary diplomacy.
Their international activities serve a number of
purposes: they further Canada's interests at
international conferences and meetings and promote
democracy, economic and social ties with developing
nations.

Welcoming Foreign Parliamentarians
and Dignitaries

The Parliament of Canada hosted the following official
visits by foreign Speakers and delegations during the
year:

His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan.

His Excellency France Cukjati, President of the
National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia

His Excellency Mohammadmian Soomro, Chairman of the
Senate, and His Excellency Chaudhry Amir Hussain,
Speaker of the National Assembly of the Islamic
Republic of Pakistan

His Excellency Victor Alcides Bogado González,
President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of
Paraguay

The Honourable Rory O'Hanlon, Speaker of the House of
Representatives of Ireland

The Honourable Paul Calvert, President of the Senate of
Australia

His Excellency Foued Mebazaa, President of the Chamber
of Deputies of the Republic of Tunisia

His Excellency Dr. Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani, Speaker of
the Consultative Council of the Republic of Yemen

His Excellency Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, President of
the Senate, and His Excellency Antonio Leal Labrin,
President of the Chamber of Deputies, Republic of Chile

Her Excellency Nino Burjanadze, Chairperson of the
Parliament of Georgia

As part of their diplomatic function of receiving world
leaders, the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the
House of Commons welcomed the following distinguished
guests:

The Honourable John Howard, Prime Minister of
Australia, who addressed Senators and Members of the
House of Commons in a joint session of Parliament

His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan, who addressed a joint session
of the two Houses of Parliament during his first visit
to Canada

Her Excellency Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of the
Republic of Latvia

Their Majesties Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, and
Queen Silvia

In addition to these visits, the Speakers of the Senate
and the House of Commons cultivate parliamentary
relations with other countries by conducting courtesy
calls with newly accredited Ambassadors to Canada and
Ambassadors leaving the country. The Speaker of the House
of Commons held 68 such courtesy calls in 2006-2007.

Representing Canada's Interests
and Sharing our Experience

The Speaker and Members are regularly invited to visit
other legislatures to discuss common issues, foster
relationships, and share knowledge and expertise. In
January 2007, Speaker Milliken led an all-party
delegation of Canadian Parliamentarians to Benin, Burkina
Faso and Mali. Offering a seminar on the Canadian
experience of parliamentary democracy, members of the
delegation engaged their counterparts in discussions on
topics of mutual interest, such as the independence of
Parliament from the executive, the role of women in
politics, the funding of political parties and the
representation of minorities. Speaker Milliken also
traveled with parliamentary delegations to Mongolia,
South Africa and the Russian Federation.

Such foreign visits allow Parliamentarians to share ideas
with their counterparts from around the world, to explore
common concerns, and to learn from each other. These
discussions also promote cooperation and reinforce
Canada's relationships with other countries. Frequent
topics of discussion include Parliamentary democracy,
international security, agriculture, immigration, trade
and investment, environment and international
development.

The Parliament of Canada is also a member of various
parliamentary associations. Each of these associations
holds conferences, seminars and meetings. These events
offer Canadian Parliamentarians further opportunities to
promote Canada's interests abroad, and to maintain
bilateral and multilateral relationships with other
countries.

His Excellency Mr. Cyril Svoboda, Foreign Affairs
Minister of the Czech Republic and the Speaker of the
House of Commons.

For example, in March of 2007, the Canadian Section of
the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas hosted a
Hemispheric Trade Knowledge Network Seminar with
Parliamentarians from North and South America. This was a
timely and important event given the ongoing negotiations
on trade-related issues in the region. In April of 2006,
the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group
participated in a conference entitled "Canadian-United
States Border: A Unified Focus," which enabled Canadian
Parliamentarians to share Canada's views on this
sensitive issue. Finally, the Canada-Europe Parliamentary
Association attended, in its capacity as an observer, the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to
participate in discussions on the Canadian seal hunt. By
informing Europeans of the reality of the hunt and of its
significance to the economic life of maritime communities
in Canada, the delegation's objective was to ensure that
Canada's position on the subject was well understood.

Information and reports on these events are available on
the Parliament of Canada Web site (www.parl.gc.ca)
under "Interparliamentary Affairs."

Participating in Conferences

The Parliament of Canada regularly hosts international
conferences for Parliamentarians. In April 2006, the
Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons hosted
the 12th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific
Parliamentarians' Conference on Environment and
Development in British Columbia. The theme of the
conference was "Natural Disasters: Prevention and
Response," and over 140 parliamentarians from 20
countries discussed ways to strengthen legislative
activities surrounding sustainable development.
Parliamentary staff developed a policy on making
parliamentary conferences more environmentally friendly
and received the 2006 Partners for a Green Hill
Environmental Award.

In November 2006, the Canadian Branch of the NATO
Parliamentary Association hosted the 52nd Parliamentary
Assembly in Quebec City. The association is the
parliamentary arm of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation and consists of delegates from 26 member
states. This assembly provides a critical forum for
international parliamentary dialogue on security,
political and economic matters. The Secretary General of
NATO, the Speaker of the Senate, the Speaker of the House
of Commons and representatives of Cabinet addressed the
600 delegates.

On October 24, 2006, the Speaker of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Commons were honoured to
welcome Their Majesties Carl XVI Gustaf, King of
Sweden, and Queen Silvia.

Parliamentary Associations - The
Parliament of Canada belongs to five bilateral
associations and seven multilateral associations.

Bilateral associations

Canada-China Legislative Association

Canada-France Interparliamentary Association

Canada-Japan Interparliamentary Group

Canada-United Kingdom Interparliamentary
Association

Canada-United States Interparliamentary Group

Multilateral associations

Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association

Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association

Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie

Interparliamentary Union

NATO Parliamentary Association

Interparliamentary Forum of the Americas

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

Interparliamentary Groups -
Interparliamentary groups strengthen relations between
Canadian parliamentarians and their counterparts from
other countries. These groups promote cooperation and
understanding between nations. The Parliament of Canada
is involved in official interparliamentary groups with
Germany, Ireland, Israel and Italy. The activities of
these groups are supported financially through the
membership fees from individual parliamentarians.

Parliamentary Exchanges - Exchanges
enable parliamentarians to enhance relations with other
countries to share ideas, knowledge and common
interests. These exchanges can take several forms:
visits to Canada by Speaker-led foreign delegations;
delegations of Canadian parliamentarians abroad headed
by the Speaker of the Senate or the Speaker of the
House of Commons; and the Parliamentary Officers' Study
Program, which enables senior parliamentary staff from
foreign legislatures and other Canadian legislatures to
learn about the workings of the Parliament of Canada.